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Indian fashion chains are betting big on the consumption story here as American chains shut stores, amid competition from online retailers. (Business Standard)

Logistics of food grains like pulses, wheat, rice and perishable products like meat, fruits and vegetables contribute the maximum to the Indian economy. But, food grain logistics sector in India needs immediate attention of Indian government and private organisations. (Cargo Connect)

Global marquee fashion and lifestyle brands such as Gap, Zara and The Body Shop are resorting to price cuts to stay competitive and increase their market share in the price-sensitive Indian market. (The Economic Times)

Less than seven years after launching the Vivanta brand and four years after inaugurating its first Gateway property, Indian Hotels Co Ltd. has decided to re-brand the two verticals and bring them back under the Taj Group brand. (BloombergQuint)

To expand its storage capacity in India, Amazon had opened its largest Fulfilment Centre in Sonipat, Haryana. US-based e-commerce giant Amazon took about a million square feet of office spaces on lease last year, making it equal to what it took between 2008 and 2015 in the country. (Business Standard)

Some experts tracking the ecosystem have written about the number of years left before “impatient investors take control of the startups” – but how well founded are these suspicions? (Forbes)

Paper Boat, a fledgling Indian brand from Bangalore-based Hector Beverages, is aiming to hold its own in the country against global giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. But can traditional Indian drinks really give popular colas and juices a run for their money? (Knowledge@Wharton)

As demand for ayurvedic products grows, especially driven by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd. has relaunched its Lever Ayush brand in southern India, the biggest and most competitive market in the space. (BloombergQuint)

As demand for ayurvedic products grows, especially driven by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd. has relaunched its Lever Ayush brand in southern India, the biggest and most competitive market in the space. (The Economic Times)

Affiliate marketing site CashKaro has collaborated with 1200 e-retailers including many category leaders like Flipkart,Amazon, etc. and may collaborate with off-line retailers shortly. (Retailer)

The year 2016 will go down in history as a tumultuous one for India's new economy companies that utilise the reach of the Internet to do business. Despite consensus that market was fundamentally strong, firms struggled with funding and valuations. (Business Standard)

The company posted revenue or income of Rs 392 crore for the fiscal 2015-16, according to its annual filing to the Registrar of Companies. It's revenue stood at Rs 132 crore in the previous fiscal. (The Economic Times)

The contribution of private labels in India’s online shopping segment is expected to triple to around $5 billion in 2017 as e-tailers try to boost earnings and fill gaps in the market in high-margin categories such as fashion, furniture and home decor. (Business Standard)

Amazon’s largest seller Cloudtail surpassed the country’s largest department chain Shoppers Stop by revenues which grew fourfold during the year to March 2016, highlighting the growing popularity of online buying as well as of Jeff Bezos’ company in India. (The Economic Times)

Under the joint venture with Reliance Brands, Bally plans to open its first store at the DLF Emporio mall in New Delhi in March 2017. (Mint)

The entrepreneur overcoming all hurdles to emerge as an icon for millions – that’s the typical positive story startup media is abuzz with. Such narratives are often considered the only way to attain startup goals. In the clamor, we can forget that each startup journey is unique: before tasting success, even successful entrepreneurs have faced failure. (TechInAsia)

India, which is one of the fastest growing e-tail markets around the globe, is the third country after China and Mexico to get the Amazon Global Store. This move will no doubt help Amazon compete more vigorously against Flipkart. More importantly, perhaps, it will also help strengthen the company’s arsenal against the imminent entry of Walmart — the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer and its arch rival. (Knowledge@Wharton)

Investors BloombergQuint spoke to said that a markdown in valuation is a much-needed market correction which will bring maturity in the Indian startup ecosystem that saw euphoric valuations over the last two years. (BloombergQuint)

The Chinese player has adopted a plan to build its footprint rapidly with lower capital investment. However, that might mean less control on the overall customerexperience.  (Forbes)

Indian unicorns such as Flipkart and Ola are struggling to raise fresh funds at valuations higher than or equal their last funding round as investors see them ceding market share to global rivals such as Amazon and Uber in the country. (Business Standard)

After a successful stint online, e-commerce companies in India are now venturing into a world they thought they would drive into extinction: the brick and mortar space. (Forbes)

India, along with China, is one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile app markets, but is it ready for app-only businesses? (Forbes)

Rocket Internet’s $70-million fire sale of Jabong has turned out to be a great deal for Flipkart. The online giant has managed to turn around the fashion portal in four months, scoring a mark over rival Amazon. (Business Standard)

Procter & Gamble (P&G), the world’s biggest consumer goods company, is exploring a long-term partnership with Kishore Biyani’s Future Group akin to the one it has with Walmart in the US, that could involve joint sales forecasting and planning, exclusive product releases, embedding officials at each others’ headquarters and even supply-chain initiatives. (The Economic Times)

Rather than investing in their own stores, e-commerce marketplaces are partnering with local merchants who can assist offline buyers in purchasing goods online. (Business Standard)

Large e-tailers including Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart argue they are at an inflection point where e-commerce becomes universal in the country. (Business Standard)

Online festival sales and the big billion day sales are presumably happy times for customers going by the units sold claims by online market places. However, they are creating much heartburn for some of the white good manufacturers whose products are being sold at prices below what they are being sold at the company showrooms or at the retailer’s end. (Firstpost)

Online baby products seller FirstCry is acquiring offline retailer Mahindra BabyOye for Rs 362.1 crore in a primarily stock deal, a development that signals how building an offline presence is becoming important for vertical etailers. (The Economic Times)

Its winning formula: Indian flavours, snazzy packaging, funky digital marketing focussed on stirring nostalgia through storytelling. (The Hindu Businessline)

By consolidating its largest competitor, Mahindra's BabyOye, the 42-year-old Maheshwari will now be the CEO of by far the largest baby and mothercare retailer in India, both online and offline. (The Economic Times)

India's two largest e-commerce players are looking to use the country's biggest festive sales season this week to bolster their valuations as they seek fresh capital and look to fend off Amazon's growing inroads into the domestic market. (Yahoo)

The coming festive season is no longer just about discounts and deals, but also about which player succeeds in roping in the maximum customers towards its platform. (Financial Express)

Walmart Stores is in advanced discussions to invest as much as $1 billion (Rs 6,647 crore) into Flipkart Online Services, as the two companies battle Amazon in the e-commerce space, according to a person familiar with the matter. (Business Standard)

The coming festive season is no longer just about discounts and deals, but also about which player succeeds in roping in the maximum customers towards its platform. (Financial Express)

Considering the country's projected GDP growth and rise in disposable incomes, mall developers are hopeful that the luxury market will also evolve. But, today most luxury stores often look deserted. (Business Today)

India’s prodigious craving for pizza, especially with a generous helping of paneer or chicken tikka, remains unchanged. However, the man who helped stoke this appetite, Ajay Kaul, has announced his departure from his position as head of Jubilant Foodworks. (Quartz)

Thailand-based quick service restaurant chain Five Star Chicken has shut down 133 outlets in India in the past five months owing to sluggish growth even as it seeks to push sales, and opens 3-4 new stores each month. (The Economic Times)

Of the 28 foreign brands that entered India after implementation of 100% FDI in single-brand retail, 23 came in through a franchise. (Mint)

Fabindia has travelled a long way from being set up as an export shop selling home furnishings to overseas customers, to being a brand recognised internationally. (Quartz)

Going digital seems to be the mantra for some of India Inc’s generation-next. The new generation not only wants to carve a niche for itself by getting into the online ventures but also plans to take on the digital biggies. (The Hindu Businessline)

The first financial quarter results for 2016 by Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail tell an interesting story. The numbers show a dip in the performance of Madura Fashion, the arm that holds licenses for several premium global brands, but a spike for Pantaloons, its offline retail venture that focuses on value fashion. (Business Standard)

Affiliate marketers face the heat as e-commerce players lower commission for repeat customers. Is the coupon and cashback business soon going to go out of style? (Financial Express)

The Indian defence services could teach the country’s top private retailers a thing or two about making money. (Quartz)

From predictive demand management systems to automated warehouses using robots, supply chain management is going hi-tech. (The Hindu Businessline)

With discounts raining down in ecommerce, the question that begs an answer is are themarketplaces flouting the rules while offering these discounts. (Firstpost)

More than two years after Flipkart founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal had announced acquisition of fashion portal Myntra at a high-street restaurant in Bengaluru, the action shifted to New Delhi’s Connaught Place. Myntra has now acquired German investor Rocket Internet-backed Jabong for $70 million to stamp out competition in the high-margin fashion space. (Business Standard)

Myntra has bought Jabong for $70 million giving it a new lease of life. (WWD)

Augmented reality mobile game has opened numerous branding opportunities and the biggest at the moment is for this segment. (Business Standard)

Spanish fashion brand Zara posted its slowest sales growth in India during the year ended March. Inditex Trent, the joint venture between Zara brand owner Inditex and Tata Group's retail arm Trent, clocked a 17% sales growth during FY16. (The Economic Times)

From a Bengaluru garage 23 years ago, outdoor gearmaker Wildcraft now logs sales worth Rs 300 crore. And the journey has only begun. (Forbes India)

Big Bazaar is consolidating its acquisitions and also upscaling its store formats with shifts in the consumer market. (The Hindu Businessline)

Lifestyle International, the Bengaluru-based retailer, has set a target of becoming a billion-dollar (nearly Rs 6,750 crore) turnover company by March 2017 by adding more stores, a top official said. (The Economic Times)

While currently a mobile wallet business typically covers fund transfers, services related to e-commerce transactions like utility and bill payments, ticketing, and recharges, offline commerce is expected to drive good traction. (Financial Express)

Apart from changing business models, mall operators are also benefitting from the challenging times in the e-commerce space. (The Hindu Businessline)

Industry fears that surging Islamist violence may imperil Bangladesh economy built on cheaply supplying fashion to the world's big-name brands. (AFP/The New Indian Express)

Mobile wallets are expanding their scale of operations and tying up with offline merchants to move beyond recharge-related services, DTH and bill payments. (AFP/The New Indian Express)

The Indian government announced that the Seventh Pay Commission award and revised salaries of central government employees are likely to be paid from July 1, 2016. The e-commerce sector is likely to benefit, but not immediately. (DNA - Daily News & Analysis)

Some of India's largest online stores including baby products retailer Firstcry, eyewear brand Lenskart and furniture marketplace Pepperfry are beginning to see significant contributions to revenue and bottomline from their physical stores. (The Times of India)

The gleaming glass atriums and blue-clad “geniuses” that herald the arrival of an Apple store could soon be landing in India, after the government cleared the way for it to open in the rapidly growing smartphone market. (AFP/Hindustan Times)

US Polo crossed the Rs 1,000-crore sales mark in India in the fiscal ending March 31, less than five years after it entered the country, according to a top executive of the company. (The Economic Times)

Smart pricing and efficient merchandising strategies are helping the Dubai-based fashion retailer expand its label in the Indian market. (Business Standard)

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) on Monday said it will double the number of its stores in India  from six to 12 by year-end. (Mint)

Apple Inc. may be closer to opening stores in India after the government eased onerous local sourcing requirements on retailers. (Bloomberg)

To drive footfalls and attract brand value, mall developers across the country are rolling out the red carpet for prominent chains. In the wake of 2 yrs of low footfall, malls are offering longer rent-free periods, long leases & capex on fit-outs. (Business Standard)

Alibaba Group Holdings is looking to buy, or invest in, an Indian logistics company specialising in deliveries for online retail players, and towards this end has held talks with Delhivery and Xpressbees Logistics, according to two people aware of the development. (The Economic Times)

Amazon founder & CEO Jeff Bezos said that the company is planning to invest an additional $3 billion in its India operations, coming nearly two years after the Seattle-based online retail giant announced plans to pump in $2 billion. (The Economic Times)

Amazon has invested an additional Rs 1,350 crore (about $200 million) in its India unit this year, as it seeks to accelerate the momentum gained in the past 18 months. (The Economic Times)

The Tata Group says it is a creating a 'one-of-its-kind, omnichannel' marketplace which would allow customers to ship-to-stores, collect-from-stores and return-to-stores. (The Economic Times)

Flipkart's new big strategy is to cross-sell its services — as well as its customers — to its biggest clients. Chief Executive Binny Bansal has stitched together a plan to cross-sell Flipkart's commerce, supply chain and advertising services to its top-selling merchants and deep-pocketed brands such as Samsung. (The Economic Times)

The Birlas hope to get a grip on the slippery fast fashion market while the global label hopes to get third-time lucky with its Indian partner. (Business Standard)

Companies like Apple fall under the category of being “charismatic” organizations wherein people set apart by specific exceptional qualities head these entities. So, what happens when it's time for the star leader to leave the organization? (Entrepreneur)

Snapdeal has barred sellers on its platform from giving more than 70% discount on the maximum retail price on most products from May 13, as the ecommerce firm aims to tackle the increasing return of merchandise from buyers. (The Economic Times)

Ecommerce platform Snapdeal has integrated UrbanClap inventory in its Android mobile application to launch a personal services category, which will help consumers book services ranging from beauty services at home to wedding photographers. (The Economic Times)

Vijay Mallya is certainly not alone in using a well-known brand to raise money — companies across sectors use brand valuation to meet a range of business needs. (The Hindu Businessline)

Biyani, chairman of one of India’s biggest retailers, has long flip-flopped on his stance on the country’s booming ecommerce industry. The man, who once publicly challenged Flipkart and its rivals’ selling strategies, eventually ended up opening a store on Amazon, and then went on to buy online furniture retailer FabFurnish from Rocket Internet. (TechInAsia)

As the lines between offline and online retail blur, India's retail king is tweaking his strategy to stay ahead of the competition. (Business Standard)

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is interested in selling food products directly to Indian consumers both by setting up brick-and-mortar as well as online stores, but it will take a final decision after evaluating the policy guidelines that will be notified by the government, said the head of its India unit. (The Economic Times)

Apple is said to be in talks to take 30,000 sq ft retail space at Maker Maxity, while IKEA is in talks to buy 350,000 square feet (sq ft) in Oberoi Realty, and signed up for a 26-acre land parcel in Navi Mumbai’s Turbhe area from a Tata group firm. (Business Standard)

Paytm plans an aggressive expansion of its online travel business by branching out into rail, road, airline and tour bookings in order to drive more traffic to its portal that is largely payments driven. (The Economic Times)

The Patanjali Group relies on brand loyalty, and says that most of its goods are cheaper than those of other FMCGs. (The Hindu)

While the new policy for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the fast-growing e-commerce sector has been welcomed by several lobby groups and offline retailers, experts note that a few implications of the new guidelines could leave some online players in a fix. (Indiaretailing.com)

The long-awaited rules permit full foreign ownership of sites that connect online buyers to sellers. (AFP/The Times of India)

Be it consumer products, lifestyle or entertainment, spiritual gurus are stepping into business and are finding success. (Business Standard)

Swedish label H&M is stepping hard on Spanish rival Zara's toes in the premium apparel market. (Business Standard)

Bakarwadi – the crispy, deep-fried, disc-shaped snack that has fans across India – is believed to have originated in Gujarat. But if you were under the impression that it is a typically Maharashtrian preparation, it is probably because of Raghunathrao Chitale, the founder and owner of Pune’s iconic Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale food and dairy brand. (Scroll.in)

Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba has approached Tata Sons for a possible partnership as it looks to set up shop in India later this year in a development that looks set to shake up the country's rapidly growing online retail market. (The Economic Times)

Purchase of cars, bikes, or gold jewellery can give immense pleasure, but is a labourious exercise. E-commerce companies are trying to change just that. (The New Indian Express)

Apps of course come with a long list of advantages for both the companies and customers: Personalization, better user interface, superior customer experience, ability to easily connect anytime and anywhere, rich customer data and so on. But is an app-only strategy the right one for a market like India. (Knowledge @ Wharton)

Foreign supermarkets are looking to gain ground in India but a western-style retail sector may not help tackle agricultural shortcomings. (The Guardian)

Snapdeal has integrated Redbus, Zomato and Cleartrip inventory in its mobile application as a pilot that will help customers book bus tickets, flight tickets, hotel tickets and food directly from the application. (The Economic Times)

Online retail constitutes just one percent of India’s total retail. Yet, out of the country’s nine startup Unicorns, three are major online commerce players. Estimated to touch $38 billion in 2016, Indian e-commerce industry has grown impressively. However, hurdles for its potential growth are many – most of which related to government norms. (Your Story)

Having created quite a stir at the time of their launch, hyperlocal companies are now witnessing a dampened mood. (Financial Express)

Patanjali Ayurved Ltd today is not just about amla juice and chyawanprash. It sells around 500 consumer goods, from ayurveda-based products to staples such as clarified butter (ghee), pulses and edible oils to personal products such as toothpaste, hair care and skin cleansers and processed food products such as noodles, biscuits and juices. (VCCIrcle)

There is no doubt that the startup Dawailelo’s decision to function in Tier II cities is an incredible one. The healthcare services market in these cities is still unorganised, with people going by what their neighbours and relatives say, rather than a doctor’s qualification. (Your Story)

Paytm is tying up with mobile and large appliance retailers to list their brick-and-mortar stores on its ecommerce platform as part of its omni-channel strategy. (The Economic Times)

Till a couple of years ago, the idea of hyperlocal services in Tier II cities would have been unthinkable. The whole point of hyperlocal services is instant gratification. A comparatively slower pace of life, poor Internet penetration, and a reluctance to adapt technology were expected to be roadblocks for such services. But the startup boom that India has witnessed over the past few years has ensured that some daring entrepreneurs have ventured into these untapped markets beyond the metros. (Your Story)

Aditya Birla Retail reported a 15% increase in its sales for the last financial year but it continues to pile up losses, according to latest available numbers. (The Economic Times)

Visual search start-ups help companies enable their users to discover products online, based on photos of objects in the real world. (MINT)

Mahindra Retail, a part of the $16.9 billion Mahindra Group, will sell products of US kidswear firm Carter’s Inc. in its chain of BabyOye stores across India and online. (Mint)

During 2014-15, the firm posted a 12% rise in consolidated sales at Rs 1,148 crore with 36% increase in profit before exceptional items at Rs 112 crore. (The Economic Times)

Amazon is running a pilot programme on delivering packages in India's biggest cities over distances of 3-5 km — by bicycle. It was debuted in Mumbai last month and has been expanded to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai. The programme is set to be extended to more cities. (The Economic Times)

Discount sale on winterwear has started in the middle of the season, as an unusually warm winter has hurt demand, forcing top brands to tweak their strategies. (The Economic Times)

Consumers could have a say in the watch or even car produced by the Tata Group as its companies strengthen social media and digital platforms by crowd sourcing ideas. (The Economic Times)

Leading ecommerce firms have already tied up with nearly 7,000 weavers to sell their products on their platforms and the number is growing keeping with rising demand. (The Economic Times)

Brands riding on Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan are heaving a sigh of relief with the Bombay High Court overturning his conviction for a 2002 hit-and-run case. (The Hindu Businessline)

Mobile application-only fashion retailer Myntra has tentative plans to roll out offline experience zones in the next 12-18 months, its chief executive Ananth Narayanan said. (The Economic Times)

Revenue from online ticketing on Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp crossed the Rs 20,000-crore mark during the year to March 2015, nearly double the turnover of India's largest online retailer Flipkart. (The Economic Times)

Leading ecommerce firms have already tied up with nearly 7,000 weavers to sell their products on their platforms and the number is growing keeping with rising demand. (The Economic Times)

First Baba Ramdev became the face of yoga in India. Now, he is taking on major global consumer goods companies with products ranging from herbal tea and fruit juices to toiletries. (Quartz India)

Shelving its retail FDI plans, Walmart is focusing its energies on mom-and-pop stores, small traders, hoteliers and caterers in a cash-and-carry market pegged at $300 billion. (The Hindu Businessline)

The Indian government has made several significant changes to the restrictions governing foreign investment into the retail sector covering areas such as domestic sourcing and ecommerce among others. (The Economic Times)

Flipkart Internet, which runs the consumer-facing portal of India's largest ecommerce business, posted a nearly four-time increase in revenue and a 12-fold jump in net worth in fiscal 2015. (The Economic Times)

Mint Money takes a close look at different types of festive offers in the segments of electronic gadgets, white goods, apparel, jewellery, furniture, and even real estate and gold, and bring to light some of the hidden details. (Mint)

Urbanisation, a growing middle class, rising disposable incomes and one of the youngest populations in the world make India hard to ignore. (South China Morning Post)

Adidas Group, the German sports footwear, hardware and apparel maker, is gearing up to launch its own retail format stores in India now that it has been allowed by the Indian government to invest in single brand retail outlets. (DNA - Daily News & Analysis)

Generation Y has taken a liking to DIY (do it yourself) kits. Helping them in this endeavour are some retail and food startups, which themselves are experimenting with the concept. (The Economic Times)

Flipkart's 'Big Billion Days' sale has yet again run into glitches this year, and this time the ecommerce giant is tendering apologies to its sellers in Agra whose products have been removed from the site for almost two days now due to delivery issues. (The Economic Times)

Fast deliveries and minimal glitches earn praise in the online world; claim 3-7 times growth over last sale; mobiles and consumer electronics products get lapped up; mobile app downloads run into millions. (DNA)

Amazon pips Flipkart and Snapdeal in the race for unique visitors; online retail grows at 40%, physical at 10%. (Business Standard)

Cafe Coffee Day has built a vast franchise, but it now needs to create a sustainable customer experience. (Outlook Business)

Delhi has a sunrise-to-sunset culture and to cater to the hundreds of night owls who are reluctant to spend a bomb but savour the delights under twinkling stars, there are a host of 24x7 food joints in the national Capital. Without so much as missing a beat, Delhi hipsters will easily list out all of them. But quite noticeably, there seems to be a transition with a new, vibrant food theme emerging. (Millennium Post)

Kishore Biyani-led Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd has set up a design studio in London to tap into the vibrant fast fashion market. (Mint)

Online grocers are working on shortening their delivery time to less than two hours by building more delivery points or roping in more partner stores in a bid to attract consumers who prefer quicker kiranas to waiting for delivery of online orders. (The Economic Times)

Textiles major Arvind Ltd has created a new value department chain branded 'Unlimited' by converting large stores of its existing chain Megamart that has been struggling to shed its 'discount format' image. (The Economic Times)

On-demand services based hyperlocals are in vogue, with investors and consumers both sitting up and taking note. But how far is the business model sustainable? (Financial Express)

Judging by the patronage showered upon them by customers and investors alike, it would appear that hyperlocal start-ups are all set to create the next big boom in the Indian retail sector. But is it really all that rosy? Probably not, as can be amply witnessed by acquisitions taking place in the nascent yet already overcrowded market. (Financial Express)

Gap, a recent entry into the Indian apparel market, out performs other retailers with sales of Rs. 23 lakhs per day in the first month of its south Delhi store. (Lace 'n' Lingerie Magazine)

Having earned a name in the handbags space, the company is now looking to become a lifestyle brand across categories like footwear and eventually, apparel. (Forbes India)

Pepperfry has joined the list of e-tailers going 'hybrid' by recently leasing a 1,800 sq ft space at Linking Road, Santacruz in Mumbai. (Indiaretailing.com)

Mahindra Retail will rename its maternity and childcare stores as 'Babyoye by Mahindra', dropping the name 'Mom & Me' in favour of shopping website Babyoye. com, which it acquired earlier this year. (The Economic Times)

Biyani wants to sell deodorants, mosquito repellents and floor cleaners, besides fairness creams and noodles, at the hundreds of PDS outlets across Rajasthan. (The Hindu Businessline)

The Rajasthan government has signed an agreement with Kishore Biyani's Future Group, best known for its retail chains Pantaloons and Big Bazaar, to launch the new Annapurna Bhandar Yojana. (Scroll)

India's increasingly app-only online marketplaces are promising richer shopping experience when 4G, the mobile telecom technology that offers quick data downloads, gains more traction. (The Economic Times)

Older articles and press quotes are available here.